Mount Sinai

It is surrounded on all sides by higher peaks in the mountain range of which it is a part. For example, it lies adjacent to Mount Catherine which, at 2629 m, is the highest peak in Egypt.

• Name — Mount Sinai • Other Name — Gabal Mūsā • Elevation M — 2,285 • Location — Sinai, Asian part of Egypt

• Illustration — Jebel Musa in the 1869 Ordnance Survey of the Peninsula of Sinai, shown north of Mount Catherine (Jebel Katarina) and south of Willow Peak (Ras es-Safsafeh) Mount Sinai's rocks were formed during the late stage of the evolution of the Arabian-Nubian Shield. Mount Sinai displays a ring complex that consists of alkaline granites intruded into diverse rock types, including volcanics. The granites range in composition from syenogranite to alkali feldspar granite. The volcanic rocks are alkaline to peralkaline, and they are represented by subaerial flows and eruptions and subvolcanic porphyry.

Immediately north of the mountain is the 6th-century Saint Catherine's Monastery. The summit has a Greek Orthodox chapel, constructed in 1934 on the ruins of a 16th-century church, that is not open to the public. The chapel encloses the rock which is considered to be the source for the biblical Tablets of Stone. At the summit also is "Moses' cave", where the Hebrew prophet Moses is believed to have waited to receive the Ten Commandments from God.

The mountain is associated with the Islamic prophet Mūsā ibn ʿImrān (i.e., Moses). In particular, numerous references to Jabal Musa exist in the Quran, where it is called Ṭūr Saināʾ, Ṭūr Sīnīn, and aṭ-Ṭūr and al-Jabal (both meaning "the Mount"). As for the adjacent Wād Ṭuwā (Valley of Tuwa), it is considered as being muqaddas (sacred), and a part of it is called Al-Buqʿah Al-Mubārakah ("The blessed Place"). • Illustration — Saint Catherine's Monastery, looking down from Mount Sinai • Illustration — The mosque at the summit • Illustration — The chapel at the summit

There are two principal routes to the summit. The longer and shallower route, Siket El Bashait, takes about 2.5 hours on foot, though camels can be used. The steeper, more direct route (Siket Sayidna Musa) is up the 3,750 "steps of penitence" in the ravine behind the monastery. It is mandatory to hike with a guide. A guide can be hired at the start of the trails before the monastery. Many tour companies offer tours ascending after midnight in the dark, in order to reach the summit for sunrise. Cafe stalls along the trail sell warm drinks and snacks. The mountain can also be hiked in the afternoon for sunset, when it is quieter. A small camp below the summit offers mattresses and blankets for rent, allowing visitors to sleep on the mountain overnight. • Illustration — North-northeast view from the summit • Illustration — Northwest view from the summit • Illustration — The last few meters of the climb up the mountain • Illustration — Sunrise